Paternity

Paternity is legally being someone's father. Paternity establishes who the father of a child is and who has the status, rights and responsibilities of fatherhood. Establishing who the legal father is can be very important when:

a man wants to prove that he is, or is not, the father of a particular child

Paternity DisputesIf there’s a dispute about the paternity of a child, the mother can apply to the Family Court to resolve it by making a paternity order against a man who denies being the child’s father. This may be necessary to establish that she’s entitled to child support or the Domestic Purposes Benefit (DPB). A man can also ask the Court to declare that he is or is not the father of a child. In some cases other people too can apply to the Family Court for a paternity order. The High Court can also resolve paternity disputes by declaring that a man is or is not a child’s father. Often the Court will recommend DNA tests. These involve either blood samples or mouth swab samples from the man, the mother and the child. The man can refuse to take the test, but the Court can take his refusal into account in making its decision.